"Your epidermis is showing!" While you've long since figured out that this childhood taunt simply means your skin is visible, there's an entire other crop of words and expressions — from French, Latin, German, Yiddish — still may leave you guessing. Your boss crows, "You're sui generis!" And you respond "Um...same to you?" (while wondering, Should I be cleaning out my desk?). End this confusion by learning the definitions of more than 25 useful foreign words and phrases, including the difference between ad nauseam and ad infinitum, and shlemiel and shlimazel. May this save you head-scratching moments — and several trips to the dictionary.

Words You Might Read

Ad hominem (add HAH-min-em); Latin
Definition: Appealing to prejudices and emotions rather than reason; attacking an opponent's character rather than her arguments.
Usage: It was clear Susan would lose her bid for the condo board when she responded to her opponent with the ad hominem attack "I'm sure your pet rat — or is it a Yorkie? — brings you much joy."
Worth Noting: Ad hominem is often followed by the word attack.

Ad infinitum (add inn-finn-EYE-tuhm); Latin
Definition: To infinity.
Usage: Though the kids in the backseat sang "Ninety-nine Bottles of Beer on the Wall" for a mere two hours, it seemed to go on ad infinitum.

Après (AH-pray); French
Definition: After.
Usage: She loves the après-ski ritual — wearing a colorful sweater and drinking hot toddies — even though she never skis.

Bête Noire (bet NWAHR); French
Definition: A dreaded or detested person or thing.
Usage: At large family gatherings, my sister-in-law is my bête noire, lurking in the kitchen and criticizing my cooking skills.

E.G. (abbreviation for exempli gratia); Latin
Definition: For example.
Usage: While arachnophobia is fairly common, there are far more unusual fears, e.g., arachibutyrophobia — the fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of one's mouth.

I.E. (abbreviation for id est); Latin
Definition: In other words.
Usage: Even today he suffers from coulrophobia — i.e., a morbid fear of clowns.
Worth Noting: These two abbreviations are often incorrectly reversed. Remember that e.g. is used to illustrate a point, while i.e. is used to clarify it.

Enfant Terrible (on-fon teh-REE-bleh); French
Definition: A difficult child; an unconventional or outspoken person whose behavior dismays or embarrasses others.
Usage: She's definitely the staff enfant terrible, with her dramatics at the weekly staff meetings, her loudmouthed phone conversations, and the rest of us cringing in her wake.

Quid Pro Quo (kwid proh KWOH); Latin
Definition: An equal exchange.
Usage: Quid pro quo, kiddo: You clean your room and I'll let you have an extra hour on the GameCube.

Sturm und Drang (SHTOORM oont DRONG); German
Definition: Turmoil, upheaval.
Usage: The memo declaring an end to casual Fridays caused no end of Sturm und Drang among my jeans-loving officemates.